Refrigerator cabinet construction



MarCh 23 1965 H. J. LoEwEN'rHAL ETAL. 3,174,542

REFNICERATCR CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. l5, 1962 llll 1|IIIIIllllllllJllllllllllllllllJ INVENTORS HENRY I LoEwENTHAL ze BYCEDWARD H. ROBERTS THEW ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,l74,642 REFRIGERATR CANNET CGNSIRUCIQN Henry l. Loewenthal, Louisville, and Edward H. Roberts,

.leiter-suntown Ky., assignors to General Electric Cornpany, a corporation of New York Filed Nov. l5, 1962, Ser. No. 237,970 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-9) The present invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and is more particularly concerned with a new and improved refrigerator cabinet and to a method of making such a cabinet.

Certain types of foamed polyurethane resins have insulating 'and other characteristics which make them particularly useful for insulating the walls of refrigerator cabinets and the like. For best results, it is desirable that the foam insulation be formed in place between the spaced inner and outer shells of the cabinet and this is normally done by introducing the foamable resin in liquid form and allowing it to expand and set within the cabinet walls. In order to prevent loss or leakage of the duid material or the partially foamed material while it is in the plastic stage, it is essential that the inner and outer shells of the cabinet be assembled in iluid tight relationship prior to introduction of the foamable resinous material. ln the usual refrigerator construction comprising spaced inner and outer shells 'and a separate breaker strip bridging the gap between the front edges of the two shells, the mechanical joints between the shells and the breaker strip constitute the principal leakage areas during the foaming operation. Half of these areas can be eliminated by forming one of the shells, preferably the inner shell or liner, of a heat insulating plastic sheet material and including a flanged portion companable to the usual breaker strip component of a refrigerator cabinet. In such a cabinet construction the only mechanical joint is between the outer shell and inner shell or liner, this joint extending along a line around the access opening to the compartment formed by the inner shell or liner, However, prior refrigerator cabinet constructions of this type have not been completely satisfactory either from the standpoint o providing an acceptable seal between the two shells or as providing an overall construction which could be economically assembled.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved refrigerator cabinet including onepiece inner .and outer shells so constructed and arranged so as to provide a leak-proof joint between the two shells.

A further object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator cabinet including 'a one-piece outer shell, a onepiece inner shell or liner and improved low cost sealing means between the shells.

Another object of the invention is to provide an irnproved method of manufacturing a refrigerator cabinet including unitary inner and outer shells.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which chanacterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming part of this specication.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a refrigerator cabinet including a one-piece outer shell including inwardly extending or facing U-shaped channel sections on the i'our sides of the shell, the front walls of which dene a rectangular opening at the front of the shell. The inner shell or liner forming a storage compartment within the cabinet is 'also of one-piece construction. lt has outwardly extending llanges on the four sides of the access opening to the compartment which are adapted to be received in the U-shaped channels of the outer shell. The overall front dimensions of the inner 3,l7d,42 Patented Mar. 23, 1965 ICC shell or liner are such that when the inner shell is centered relative to the outer shell, the peripheral edges of each of the liner flanges extend about half way into the channels carried by the outer shell. Retaining members provided within each of the channels and extending substantially the full length thereof include spring portions adapted to bear on the rear surfaces of the liner flanges and hold these flanges in engagement with the front Wall of the channels. Resilient or compressible sealing material such as a resilient plastic foam material is provided within each of the channels between the front wall thereof and the spring portion of the retaining member and this material is arranged to bear against the outer edges of the liner flanges when the shell is in its 'assembled position within the liner in order to seal the joint between these two components.

The dimensional relationship between the front of the liner including the flanges and the outer shell is designed to provide Ia simple and effective means of mounting the one-piece liner in the one-piece outer shell. This method comprises placing the liner in the outer shell and inserting two adjacent liner flanges into position between the front walls of the two adjacent channel sections and the associated spring portions to a point such that the remaining two liner flanges are .at a position in which they will clear the front walls of the two remaining channel sections. The two remaining flanges on the liner are then inserted in their respective channels and the shell moved to a position in which all four flanges extend into their respective receiving channel sections to about the same degree. By employing a resilient sealing material in each of the four channels the sealing material can be compressed during movement of the liner relative to the outer shell during the assembly operation and will expand and remain in contact with the liner flanges as the liner is centered relative to the outer shell. After centering of the outer shell rand liner with the resilient material sealing the joint between the shell and liner, the assembly is ready for the introduction of a foamable resinous material into the spaces between the shell `and liner Walls. During the foaming operation,v the seal provided by the spring portions and the resilient sealing material will prevent the foam from leaking through the joint between the liner and shell.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a refrigerator cabinet embodying the present invention;

lFIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 2-2 of lFIGURE l showing one step in the manufacture of the cabinet; and

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 illustrating ythe final construction of the cabinet.

With reference to FIGURE 1 of the drawing there is shown a refrigerator cabinet including a storage cornpartment 1 having an access opening at the yfront thereof which is normally closed -by means of a door (not sho-wn) The storage compartment l is defined by an inner shell or liner 2 which is spaced from an outer shell or case' 3 forming the exterior surface of the cabinet with the space between the liner Zand outer shell 3 being iilled with heat insulating material 4 which inthe present case comprises a resinous lfoam insulating material formed in place.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the outer shell or case 3 is formed of sheet metal and includes a top wall 5, a bottom wall 6, and opposed side walls 7 and 3 and a rear wall 9.

The outer case or shell also includes inwardly extending anges 1d, 11, l2 and 13 integral with the front edges of the walls 5, 6, 7 and 8, which flanges 'form a portion of the face or `front of the cabinet around the access opendrawing.

Vcase flanges.

ing to the compartment 1. The inner edges of these llanges define aV rectangular opening through which the liner 2 is inserte-d into thev case during assembly of the cabinet.

Also yformed integrally with the inner edges of the case flanges and extending entirely around the opening defined by Ithese llanges are inwardly `facing substantially 'LJ-shaped channels 14 and each of these channels include a rear wall and a bottom wall 16, the front wall of the channels `being defined by the respective case llanges.v

Included as part of the outer case -construction but not specifically illustrated in the drawing, is a machinery compartinent positioned at the bottom of the cabinet and designed to house a refrigerating unit including a cornpressor, a condenser and an evaporator. The contents of the compartment 1 are cooled by means of air blown over the evaporator and circulated through the compartment 1 by means of ducts (not shown).

The liner 2 is formed of a plastic heat insulating sheet material and includes a top wall 17, a bottom wall 18 and opposed side walls 19 and 20 `which along with a rear wall 21 define the compartment 1 having its access opening at the tfront thereof. Integral with the walls defining the conmpartment 1, the liner includes outwardly extending flanges about the -forward edges of each of the sides, top and bottom'walls. The linerincludes side tlanges 22 and 23 are specifically shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 of the Each of the liner llanges is adapted to be received in one of the channels 14 provided around the four sides of the outer case. These anges are of a width such thatl in cooperation with the anges on the outer case, the outer shell 3 and the liner 2 can be maintained in spaced relationship with the flanges bridging the space at the iront of the cabinet. As will be describedV more yfully hereinafter, the liner flanges preferably` overlap the outer case flanges by about one-half of their width whenI the shell and liner are centered relatively to one another. y

' For the purpose of maintaining the liner ilanges in engagement with the rear wall of the outer shell ilanges,

u a retaining member 28 is provided in each of the outer case channels 14 and each member 2S is arranged to apply a spring pressure to the rear surface of a liner tlange in order to maintain these liner lflanges in engagement with the outer case flanges in the assembled cabinet. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the'retaining' mem-bers 2S comprise a base portion 2.9 adapted to be secured as by means of rivets 30 to one of the channel walls and a spring. portionr31 overlying and coextensive with a rear face of an outer case ange. The spring portion 31 which extends substantially the `full length of each of the channels is bent so'that only the outer or end portion 33 engages the liner flange. part of the spring mem-ber or portion indicated bythe numeral 34 is in spaced relationship with the outer shell flanges in order to provide room for a resilient sealing material 35 arranged between the retaining member and the outer shell ilanges.

This resilient sealing material which is preferably composed of a ilexi-ble resilient polyurethane foam in strip form is provided to cooperate with the spring portion 31 in forming a seal between the lliner 2 and the outer case or shell 3. It is maintained in position either by the retain-V ing members'ZS or, if desired, it may be .adhesively secured along its` outer edge to the rear side of the outer In either'event, it is designed to contact the outer edges of the flanges on the liner 2 and thereby prevent leakagevo-f foam insulating material from the Y -walls of the cabinet during the foaming oper-ation.V

The advantages of, the present invention will become more apparent fromfa consideration of the method of assemblying the cabinet. In Vthe manufacture of the illustrated embodiment of the invention, Vthe outer shell is formed of sheet metal so vthat it includes the inwardly extending vilanges 1t), 11, 12 and 13 defining an open- The intermediate ing at the front of the shell and forming a portion of the cabinet face. integrally formed with the flanges are the inwardly facing U-shaped channel sections 14 o-n the rear side of each of the shell flanges. The retaining members 2S and the sealing members 35 are mounted Within each of the channel sections so that the spring portions 31 overlie the rear side of the shell anges throughout substantially the full length of these flanges or are at least coextensive with substantially all of the edge portions of the flanges defining the opening to the shell.

A one-piece plastic liner is vacuum or otherwise formed from a suitable plastic sheet material to define the storage compartment 1 having the peripheral liner flanges 23 extending about the front of the compartment.

To assemble the liner 2 within the outer shell 3, the liner is inserted through the opening in the outer shell and two adjacent flanges on the liner are inserted between two adjacent shell flanges and the retaining members associated therewith. For example, as shown in FIGURE 2, the liner llange 22 is inserted between the outer shell flange 13 and the spring portion 31 of the retaining member associated with that flange. At the same time, either the top or bottom ilange on the liner is inserted into its cooperating channel. The liner is then moved laterally relative to the outer shell until the remaining two llanges on the liner'can be moved past the remaining two shell flanges so that the liner will drop into the outer caseA a suliicient distance to permit these remaining two llanges to be inserted Vbetween the remaining shell flanges and their associated retaining members. Thereafter the shell and liner are centered relative to one another and a suitable foamable resin such as a foamable polyurethane resin is introduced into the spaces between the shell and liner to suitable openings (not shown) provided in the back wall 9 of the outer shell.

It is in ordery to permit the assembly of the shell and liner by this method that the llanges provided on the liner 2 are of the width previously indicated. In other words, the front side of the liner including the llanges is of a width and a height such that while there is obtained a substantial overlap between the liner and lshell flanges in the final assembly, the liner llanges are sufficiently narrow so that when two adjacent liner'flanges are inserted intoV position between their cooperating flanges and retaining members of the outer shell, and slid to a point where the liner walls engage the spring retaining members, the remaining two adjacent liner llanges can be moved past their corresponding shell flanges.

During assembly of the liner within the outer shell, theV resilient Vmaterial 35 is compressed as the first two liner flanges are put in position and thereafter expands as the shell and liner are centered relative to one another in order tofmaintain a positive seal of any openingsV between the liner and shell tlanges. This resilient material then prevents leakage of the foam resin during the foaming operation. Y While there has been shown and described a specific embodiment of the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and it is intended by the appended claim to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of the invention..v

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A referigerator cabinet comprising unitary spaced inner and outer shells defining a storage compartment having a rectangular access opening at the front thereof, said outer shell including an inwardly opening U-shapedrchannel extending entirely around said access opening and including front and rear walls,.said Vfront channel wall defining a portion of the cabinet face,'said inner shell including walls torining said storage compartment and being composed of heat insulating material, said inner shell including an integral, outwardly( extending llangeV extending entirely around said access opening in partially overlapping rela-.

tionship with the rear side of said front channel wall, spring means arranged in said channel, said spring means including a base portion secured to said rear channel wall and a spring portion overlying and coextensive with said front channel wall for engaging said outwardly extending iiange for maintaining said outwardly extending ange in engagement with said front channel wall, compressible resilient material between said spring means and said front channel wall and engaging the peripheral edge of said outwardly extending tiange, and a body of foamed plastic insulating material filling the space between said shells, said compressible resilient material providing a seal to prevent leakage of said foamed plastic material from said space during formation thereof within said space after said inner shell has been assembled into said outer shell prior to the introduction of said plastic insulating material by inserting two adjacent sides of said flange between two adjacent sides of said front channel wall and the portions of said spring means associated therewith a distance suicient to permit the remaining sides of said flange to move past the remaining sides of said front channel Wall for insertion between said remaining sides of said front channel wall and the associated portions of said spring means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,349,420 5/44 Goulooze 220-9 2,576,208 ll/51 Benson 220-9 2,793,781 5/57 Morton 220-9 2,898,653 8/59 Bedford 2209 2,962,183 ll/60 Rill et al 220-9 2,978,136 4/ 61 Ehrenfreund 220-9 3,000,058 9/ 61 Thielen 18-59 3,090,078 5/63 Ackles 18-59 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

